5 Things You Need to Know About Weight Loss Surgery

If you’re overweight or obese, you know how difficult it can make your life. From potential health issues like high blood pressure and diabetes to other issues like depression and difficulty with dating or work, your weight can often stand in the way of your overall happiness.

And while a healthy and active lifestyle can help with initial weight loss, sometimes surgery is the only way to get down to a healthy weight so you can live a happy productive light.

But deciding to undergo weight loss surgery is a big decision. What’s best for you can depend on a variety of things like your personal goals, individual health, and doctor and surgeon recommendations.

In this article, we’ll cover 5 things you need to know about weight loss surgery, so you can decide if this kind of surgery is right for you.

Who Qualifies for Weight Loss Surgery?

It’s important to know that not everyone is an ideal candidate for weight loss surgery. If you don’t meet the surgery criteria, it will be hard to find a surgeon that will operate on you. If you meet the following criteria, you may be a good candidate for weight loss surgery:

You have a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more

You have obesity-related health issues like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, or high cholesterol

You’ve tried and failed to lose weight by other means

If you meet these criteria, you should meet with your personal physician to discuss if this surgery would be a good option for you.

What Types of Weight Loss Surgeries are There?

Weight-loss (bariatric) surgery helps you lose weight and lessens the risk of health issues related to obesity. The surgery generally limits the physical amount of food your stomach can hold, which reduces the number of calories you can consume. It also generally shortens or bypasses part of your small intense, which reduces the number of calories and nutrients your body can absorb.

Here are 3 common types of weight-loss surgery:

Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Band

This surgery involves a surgeon placing a ring with an inflatable band around your stomach to make a small pouch. There is a circular balloon inside the band that is filled with a salt solution, and the doctor can adjust the size of the opening from the pouch to the stomach by adjusting the amount of salt solution. Ultimately, this pouch will make you feel fuller after a smaller amount of food, which will help with weight loss.

Gastric Sleeve

A gastric sleeve surgery, also known as a vertical sleeve gastrectomy, involves a surgeon removing most of your stomach and stapling the remaining banana-shaped section together. This surgery reduces the amount of food your stomach can hold, which will also make you feel fuller faster. It’s important to know that this surgery is permanent and that taking out part of your stomach can affect things like your gut bacteria and gut hormones.

Gastric Bypass Surgery

Gastric bypass surgery, also known as the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, involves a surgeon stapling your stomach to create a small pouch and then cutting your small intestine and attaching the lower part of it to that small pouch. It forces food to bypass most of your stomach and small intestine, which means your body absorbs fewer calories. Like the gastric sleeve, this surgery can affect gut hormones, but it can be reversed if medically required.

5 Things You Need to Know About Weight Loss Surgery

Now that you know the basics of weight loss procedures, we can delve into if it’s the right move for you. Here are 5 things to consider before scheduling your surgery.

1. You Can Become More Depressed After Your Surgery

Studies show that obese people are 25% more likely to experience mental health issues like depression. And while most people who undergo weight loss surgery experience an overall improvement in their mental health, depression can worsen for some people. In fact, 13% of patients who undergo this surgery report issues with eating disorder behavior and self-esteem six to 12 months after surgery.

If you’re someone who struggles with depression, make sure you talk to your doctor about this before getting weight loss surgery. And if you’re planning on going through with surgery, make sure you have the mental support you need to deal with any worsening depression.

2. You May End up with an Excess Skin Issue

Most post-surgery weight loss is gradual so your body and skin can adjust to the changes. But sometimes people are left with excess skin, which requires cosmetic surgery to fix. And this surgery is often not covered by insurance, which means you can be paying $4000 or more for reshaping surgeries to deal with droopy skin.

3. Your Insurance Probably Won’t Cover It

Before you get any weight loss surgery, you should know that many insurance providers will not cover the procedure. Those that do often require you to have a BMI of 35 or more, as well as other health issues like diabetes or heart disease. The cost of the surgery can range between $11,000-$26,000 dollars, so before you schedule the surgery make sure you talk with your insurance provider and review your personal finances.

4. It’s a Low-Risk Procedure

There’s no need to worry about surgery risks when it comes to any weight loss procedure. Complications of this surgery are almost never life-threatening, and 90% of patients experience no complications. The health risks associated with obesity are far greater than any risks regarding surgery.

5. It Won’t Solve All Your Problems

Weight loss procedures can help you lose weight initially, but staying healthy requires a lifetime commitment to a healthy diet and exercise. Since you’ll be eating less due to your surgery, you’ll have to stick to a permanent regimen of additional nutritional supplements to give your body the vitamins and minerals it needs.

This surgery isn’t a way to get out of eating healthy and exercising, it’s a means of taking control of your health.

Final Thoughts on Weight Loss Surgery

Deciding to get a weight loss procedure is a big decision, but it’s one that could enhance your life in every way. By considering these 5 things and keeping open and honest communication with your doctor, you can determine if this is the right option for you.

Are you considering a weight loss procedure? Is there anything we forgot to include? Let us know in the comments!